Beneath the mask
by ArashiKira
Summary: During a storm, Zoey thinks back to the day she discovered what was hiding beneath Rythian's mask.


**Behind his Mask**

The storm raged on outside, drops striking the stained glass panes of the isolated fortress. The wind howled, violently sweeping through the land. Somehow, everyone in the area managed to fall asleep. Everyone but one person.

Zoey laid in bed, stiff and shaky. Every single time lightning struck, the resulting echo that rang in her ears brought back horrible memories of unimaginable pain, bright lights and the unmatched guilt at the thought that she had failed. She burried her face into the side of the man who was asleep next to her. He subconciously wrapped an arm around her, holding her tightly.

For some time now, he no longer wore his mask when he slept. He did not need to, ever since she had discovered what he had been hiding. Seeking a distraction from the storm, she began to run her biological fingers against the strange and bumpy skin that stretched across his chin. He sighed in his sleep, lips parting, his sharp shark-like teeth visible in the faint light of a candle that was placed on the bedside table. Zoey had lit it to try to push the menacing shadows out of the room, that were only rendered more terrifying by every brilliant bolt outside.

She recalled the moment she had discovered what Rythian had kept hidden behind his mask. The startling shock of it was still clear in her mind, even if she had her own theories about the strange man's past, and they were found to be rather close to the truth.

They were trapped, deep in the Twilight Maze. Every corridor looked the same, dotted with mushrooms that were alien to her, making her uncomfortable. Rythian was also showing anxiety, despite his best efforts to hide it. Teep just followed, ready to shoot at anything that leapt at them from the darkness.

"Oooh! Look, Rythie! An other treasure room." Zoey ran to the chests, looking through them. Meamwhile, the boys looked around, cautious, waiting for coming danger. None came, for a change. "Ah, nevermind, it's just more useless junk anyway." The Enderborn walked over to her, his blue eyes, glimmering slightly purple, widening. "Not even any fireflies?" She shook her head. "Nothing."

They looked at the tunnels around them. "Now what?" Teep shot an arrow in a random direction. The bolt sailed into the darkness of one of the passages where it clattered as it hit a wall. No other noises followed. They decided to go there. As the group walked, the only sound that reached their ears was that of their own footsteps. It seemed that whatever beasts lived in the area had chosen to leave this place alone. It was unsettling, strange, and felt almost like some warning of grave upcoming danger.

Rythian sensed a presence. He halted, causing the others to stop as well. He winced as he placed his hand on Enderbane, ready to strike. An enderman teleported by, and he swung quickly. The creature, looking startled, teleported away, leading Rythian to strike the wall instead. The force sent his blade bouncing back and he barely avoided getting cut. As he sheated the sword, scanning the darkness, he failed to notice the impacts done to the wall. Zoey did.

"Rythian, look out!" A pebble from the ceiling struck his head. He looked up, seeing the gravelly ceiling starting to cave-in. He swore, starting to run. Teep tackled his companions, pushing them further down the hall. The ceiling collapsed behind them.

Zoey let out a single firefly, illuminating their surroundings. "Oh great, a dead end!" They were trapped. Trapped deep under ground, behind a wall of rubble, in such a humid environment. The air quality was going down fast. They would suffocate long before they dug their way out. Zoey seemed to have reached the same conclusion. "Don't worry, Rythie! I've got this!" She began to charge up her mechanical arm. He quickly grabbed it. "No! You could cause an other cave-in, and this time, we'd be crushed!"

Panic began to fill her, and she started breathing harshly. She had survived the end of a world and three nukes, only to die in a simple cave-in? With a shaky voice, she asked: "W-what do we do?" Rythian looked to her, eyes pained. Teep, meanwhile, was trying his best to dig some of the rubble out of the way. The Enderborn just kept staring. The humidity in the room was making his skin itch, and he was starting to sweat. He heard a distant sound, from somewhere else in the labyrinth. An enderman teleporting. Shutting his eyes, he sighed.

"Zoey, Tee, hold my hands." The dinosaur looked back, confused. Zoey eagerly took his hand, but looked unsure as well. "Why?.." The mage opened his eyes, which now shone with a purple nearly as bright as they did when Blackrock still stood. "This might feel weird." And just like that, the trio vanished in a cloud of purple dust.

Zoey and Teep collapsed to the ground, the wind knocked out of them. She looked up shakily, noticing the particles that still drifted around, fadding as soon as she laid eyes on them. They were on the surface, near the portal. Rythian stood still, looking to them, his expression unreadable. Zoey sat up harshly, stammering. "But...I thought your magic didn't work here...wait...since when can...can the cloak do that? You...YOU did that..." She stood, taking a few shaky steps towards him. He still stood, not speaking, his expression still blank. Yet, in his surreal eyes, she saw something. Fear.

She slowly lifted her normal hand, touching the fabric of his mask. He made no move to push her away, as he had in the past. They had loved, taken out their stress and exhaustion in the form of passion, yet he had always insisted to keep both his mask and his shirt. He never gave her a single clue as to what was behind. And now, she slipped her fingers through the fabric, pulling downwards, where she let it hang around his neck, her eyes wide in contemplation of what was before her.

From his lower lip, down to his neck, partly swirling up his right cheek, his skin was a rough black, slightly scaly, like the skin of..."You're an enderman." He sneered, showing glimpses of pointed teeth behind his lips, which stretched further than any normal human's. He turned slightly, closing his eyes and looking to the ground. "...Half. My father...was an enderman." His eyes turned towards her again, showing fear and sorrow. "I...I was...everyone hated me. I couldn't bare it if you did too, but I wouldn't blame you if you did.""Rythian..." "I mean, yeah, I know I look like a monster, I kind of am one.""Rythian..." "I guess...I just...I'm sorry...""Rythian..." He paused, scratching his neck, looking back to her with pleading eyes. She smiled. "Your mask is off." And in that moment, she leaned in, placing her lips against his.

She felt him gasp, yet slowly, he began to return her kiss. Regardless of the rough, inhuman shape, she still enjoyed the feeling tremendously, fidning that, finally, a contact between them held a true spark of genuine love. They pulled apart, his hand still holding her waist. His gaze was stunned, his strange mouth slightly agape. Zoey blushed, looking downwards, giggling slightly.

An arrow sailed past their heads, causing them to turn around. Teep stood still, smiling, his eyes shining. They could read his gaze, understanding him as well as if he had been able to speak. 'It's about time!'

The two looked at each other, grinning from ear to ear, although, in Rythian's case, that statement was quite literal. "We, uh...we should maybe head back home..." Zoey nodded, placing a quick peck on his cheek. They moved apart, still holding hands, and walked back through the portal. Rythian readjusted his mask over his face as he did so.

As soon as they stepped back into their home world, Zoey turned to her love. "You're not wearing that to sleep anymore." He chuckled. "O-okay. Fair enough."

Lightning struck, snapping Zoey out of her reverie. She squeaked slightly, startled. A soft groan sounded next to her. Her face was bathed in a soft, purple light. He had woken-up. "Zoey, are you alright?" She cuddled into his side. "The thunder is scaring me." He sighed, hugging her, tucking his nose into her blood-red hair. "I'm here for you. Nothing will hurt you, ever." She giggled slightly, poking his stomach. "You can't do that much against a rain storm, Enderborn." He growled softly, kissing the top of her head. "For you, I would."

They both drifted off into a peaceful slumber, where nothing could have woken them up, not even Notch himself.


End file.
